KOSSA 1 – Koloale 1

The first meeting between the Honiara giants in the Telekom S-League was a one-sided affair with Koloale scoring 7 times while KOSSA could only manage 2 in reply but this time round the story was different. The opening five minutes was a tussle for control as neither team could get a good chance to shoot but Koloale came out on top after that and Benjamin Totori was the first one to go for goal for goal taking his chances from 20 yards out but his shot went above the cross bar.Clifford Wate went close for KOSSA but he ran too fast and could not connect well with the pass from Nicholas Muri inside the Koloale 6-yard box in the 15th minute leaving the ball to roll all the way to the boot of Francis Lafai who cleared it to safety.Midway through the first half Koloale suffered a major blow when forward Benjamin Totori had to be replaced by Ian Paia after an injury he sustained earlier in the game got the better of him and his exit removed a big burden from the shoulders of the KOSSA defenders.KOSSA stole the lead in the 41st minute when Nicholas Muri headed home from close range and the goal sent their fans into cheers of celebration as some of them chanted the famous ‘Go KOSSA Go!’ while Koloale finds replied in kind.Down by 1 nil at the restart Koloale were busy in the second half trying to get the equaliser but the KOSSA backline was solid enough to keep them back and Severino Aefi’s fine performance between the posts also kept their lead intact. The expulsion of Michael Misitana in the 63rd minute was the breaking point in KOSSA’s resolve as Koloale started to look more confident and in their opponent’s territory moving the ball more slowly as the tried to pry open their defences.Koloale’s moment came in the 82nd minute when substitute Ezra Sale broke into the KOSSA penalty box and fired for the back of the net to level terms and bring comfort to the Koloale fans and the final whistle could not come sooner for both sides as the tough game took its toll on the tiring players. The result was more in favour of Koloale who remain on top but they have dropped the chance to move further away from Solomon Warriors. KOSSA are now in the fourth position.

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About SIFF

Football is officially recognised as the national sport in the Solomon Islands. With numerous competitions running year-round, the Solomon Islands Football Federation (SIFF) has a busy time ensuring the game continues to grow and develop. SIFF was founded in 1978 and became a full FIFA member in 1988 largely thanks to the late Alan Boso who saw the potential of Solomon Islands football. Since then the association has grown from strength to strength.